I read StFX’s sunshine list so that you don’t have to. Here’s what you might like to know:

Every year, the province releases a “sunshine list” that shines a light on public-sector employees who earn more than $100,000. It’s a chance for taxpayers and students alike to pull back the curtain and see exactly where some of our tuition and public funds are spent. At St.FX, the 2024 figures disclose more than just a few impressive salaries, they invite some questions about the university’s spending priorities at a time when students are already paying some of the highest tuition costs in the country.

Topping this year’s list is President Andy Hakin, who earns $393,785 plus a $14,400 annual car allowance and residency in the Smith House. While I was not able to locate his exact contract, we do know that former President Sean Riley received a $525,000 signing bonus and a $733,000 retirement allowance, suggesting that President Hakin’s total compensation could easily surpass $400,000.

However, solely focusing on the president’s salary would be to miss the forest for the trees. Delving deeper into the 2024 compensation disclosure, which I cross-referenced with the StFX staff directory, revealed that 29 employees earned over $150,000 in non-teaching roles. Even more striking, the vice-presidential team collectively earns $1.2 million, a 268 percent raise since 2012. As a point of comparison, Nova Scotia’s minimum wage in 2012 was $10 per hour. If it, too, had risen by 268 percent, it would be nearly $37 per hour today.

According to a 2021 report from the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers (ANSUT), StFX administrators’ salaries have risen by 108 percent since 2012, while faculty compensation has gone up by 16.5 percent over the same period, even though more students are enrolling. Put plainly, there are more students paying higher fees, yet professors and lecturers are not seeing corresponding salary growth. Out of the roughly 265 professors on campus, I identified 45 who earned more than $150,000 and many of whom have spent at least a decade teaching at StFX. While professor’s salaries are by no means meager, this does not change the fact that faculty compensation has not kept pace with their administrative colleagues.

None of this is to suggest that administrators are not essential. They secure research grants and funding for our school, among many other behind-the-scenes responsibilities that we, as students, definitely take for granted. Many students are able to attend StFX with relief from scholarships and bursaries, and for this, we have our administration to thank. Still, when one group’s salaries stagger over those of the educators who define the classroom experience, it’s only fair to question whether the institution’s financial priorities align with its academic mission.

Furthermore, tuition, residence fees, and miscellaneous charges have been creeping higher, and StFX has become one of the country’s most expensive undergraduate options, leaving many students and their families on the brink of affordability. If a sizable chunk of our tuition is being funneled into administrative salaries, it’s no wonder the cost feels prohibitive.

Some argue that we are witnessing the “corporatization” of universities, where a bloating administration is heavily paid while campuses begin to transform into businesses. What I will say, is that professors are what make StFX special. It is becoming exceedingly rare to find a school quite like ours, where professors learn your name and seem passionate about educating and mentoring students. 

If StFX is succumbing to a broader trend in academia where the managerial class grows increasingly well-compensated at the expense of professors and students, it might be time to rethink whether we’re squandering what draws students to the gates of StFX.